Oil well pump plunger assembly



Dec. 2, 1958 R. c. WILLIAMS OIL WELL PUMP PLUNGER ASSEMBLY Filed April 27. 1956 I24 INVENTOR.

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ATTOQNEYS OIL WELL PUMP PLUNGER ASSEMBLY Roy C. Williams, Wayne, Ohio Application April 27, 1956, Serial No. 581,196

Claims. (Cl. 103-220) This invention relates to pump plungers of the sand eliminating type such as disclosed in my Patents Nos. 2,539,000 and 2,723,627, dated January 23, 1951, and November 15, 1955, respectively.

' The object of the present invention is to adapt the teachings of said prior patents to existing pump plungers by providing a novel means of assembling sand eliminator elements with conventional packing.

A further object of the invention is to radically improve the life and working eificiency of oil well pump plungers by the simple addition of sand eliminator elements, which modification may be made in the field by unskilled personnel.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment thereof, and in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a plunger unit embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section thereof on the line 2-2 in Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a tube having a coupling head 2 at its upper end that is threaded at 3 for connection with the usual operating pump parts. The head also forms a shoulder 4 at its lower end in surrounding relation to the tube.

A sand eliminator element 5 is mounted on the tube immediately below the shoulder 4, and comprises a thrust sleeve 6 closely fitting the tube and having at its upper end an annular radial flange 7 which seats for thrust engagement at its outer or top side against the shoulder 4. Surrounding the thrust sleeve 6 is a sand eliminator sleeve 9 having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the sleeve 6 so as to permit limited lateral floating movements of one sleeve on the other. The outer sleeve 9 is of a size to fit the pump cylinder, and its lateral movements on the sleeve 6 permit it to accommodate itself to any misalignment occurring during assembly as pointed out in said Patent No. 2,723,627. The exterior of the sleeve 9 is provided with a spiral sand collecting groove 10, and any collected sand discharges from the groove through one or more perforations 11 and into the space between the two sleeves. From this space it discharges into the tube 1 through any one of several larger passages 12 provided in the sleeve 6'and wall of the tube.-

The sleeve 9 has its upper end-thrust against the flange 7 through an interposed spring washer 14 and is engaged at its bottom, as is also the sleeve 6, by a loose collar 15 on the tube 1.

The present invention may be used with any conventional packing devices now known in the art, it being only necessary to provide a proper collar 15 to stand between the radially flat under surface of the sand eliminator on one side and against the upper face of the packing on the opposite side.

In the form shown, a series of plunger cups and followers 17 and 16 of rubber, or other suitable material for the purpose, are mounted in successive pairs on the tube 1 with the upper follower bearing against the collar 15. The upper follower 16 of each pair has a body sleeve 16 fitting the tube and an annular side flange 16 at its top that is inclined upward and outward and has its top surface slightly concaved or cupped, with the top one in mating thrust coaction with the collar 15.

Each plunger cup 17 is in the form of a cup having a substantially radial lower edge flange 17 fitting the tube 1 and having its end upturned in cylindrical form, as at 17 in laterally spaced relation to the tube. The body 16 of each follower 16 projects down within the cup 17 and seats against its flange 17 which latter is convex on its under side in mating relation to the concave top of the next follower 16 below. The outer peripheral surface of the parts 17 form a seal for pumping coaction with the wall of the pump cylinder in which the plunger operates.

A collar 20 is mounted on the tube at the lower end of the plunger section and bears against the bottom of the last plunger cup 17 of the set. Below this collar and bearing upward thereagainst through an interposed spring washer 21 is a lower sand eliminator sleeve 22 corresponding to the sleeve 9 except that it does not require a sand discharge perforation such as 11 in the sleeve 9. Sand entering the grooves of the lower element is discharged into the space below the plunger. An inner thrust sleeve similar to the inner thrust sleeve 6 at the upper end is provided, and its flange 24 extends outwardly below the sand sleeve 22. A nut 23 is threaded on the lower end of the tube 1 and bears against the flange 24 of the inner thrust sleeve to hold the various parts on the tube in properly tightened assembled relation.

In modifying an existing plunger of the type in which a long series of cups or sealing rings is provided, the

operator removes the nut 23 which holds the cups in place and strips the entire series from the tube 1. He then slips the thrust sleeve 6 over the tube against the under side of shoulder 4 and positions the spring washer 14 against its flange 7. This sleeve 6 is preferably provided with a set screw or similar means to hold it in place on tube 1. The user then drills a plurality of holes 12 in the tube 1 and to assure the holes being properly located the tube 6 may be drilled at the factory and its holes used as guides for the holes 12. The remainder of the elements including the sand eliminator sleeve 9, the adapter collar 15, the packing rings and the lower sand eliminator unit are then added in the proper order, after which nut 23 may be tightened. It will be seen that the springs 14 and 21 will effectively prevent the nut 23 from being threaded so tightly that lateral accommodation of the sand eliminator sleeves 9 would be prevented, since the thrust of the nut is transmitted to the lower inner thrust sleeve through shoulder 24, then through the packing cups to the upper inner thrust sleeve 6 and thence by flange 7 to the shoulder 4 of the body 2.

When the modification of the plunger is complete it may be attached in the usual manner to conventional traveling valves. It will be seen that, in the form shown a cup packed plunger which is easily destroyed in a sandy well has been converted to one in which no sand can reach the susceptible packing elements. A plunger so modified has a life many times as great as the unmodified unit.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

I claim:

1. A unitary plunger and sand eliminator assembly for oil wells, comprising a tube having a coupling head at its upper end, a sand eliminator unit at each its upper and lower ends, a plurality of packing elements on the tube between; said sandeli'minatorunits each including'a thrust sleeve on said tube and having an annular radialflangeat one end, a sandeliminator sleeve mounted on said thrust sleeve and having its bore of greater diameter than-the outside diameter of said thrus-tsleeve'to provide a space therebetween and permit lateral floating movements to said sand eliminator sleeve-relative to said thrust sleeve, said-sand eliminatorsleevehaving a peripheral spiral sand collecting groove and a sand discharge passage leading inward from'sa'id groove to the space betWeensaid sleeves; and} at least one of said thrust sleeves and tube havinga passage leadingfrom said space to the interior of said tube.

2'. A unitary plunger and sand eliminator assembly for oil wells, comprising a tube having a shoulder thereon; a thrust sleeve on said tube and having a radial flange at one end, a sleeve mounted on said thrustsleeve in thrust coaction at one end with said flange and having an external spiral groove, said grooved sleeve having an internal diameter larger than the external diameter of said thrust sleeve to permit lateral float-ing movements of one on theothcr, and meanson said tube'clamping' the thrust sleeve imposition thereon and cooperating with the thrust sleeve flange to permit saidfloating movement of the grooved sleeve onthe thrust-sleeve,w

A combinationas called for in claim2' together with a spring Washer receiving one end thrust of the'grooved' 4 sleeve to permit a limited axial yielding'movement of the grooved sleeve on the thrust sleeve in cooperation with said means.

4. A combination as called for in claim 2 wherein a sand relief passage is provided in the interior of said grooved sleeve to its groove and a second passage is provided through said thrust sleeve and tube from the interior of the grooved sleeve to the interior of the tube.

5. In an assembly for oil Wells, a tube, a sand eliminator unit on said. tube comprising a thrust sleeve having an external shoulder at one end, a thrust spring on the tube against said shoulder, and an external spirally grooved sleeve on said thrust sleeve with a space therebetween for limited lateral movements of one on the other, said grooved sleeve being in end thrust engagement with said shoulder through said spring, and said space having communication with the interior of the tube and with the sleeve groove; and cooperating means on the tube holding said" thrust sleeve axially located on the tube and said grooved sleeve in end thrust engagement'with said spring to permit said relative lateral movements of the sleeve.

References @itedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 254,010 Heydrick Feb. 21, 1882 2,154,331 Hathcock Apr. 11, 1939 2,539,000 Williams Jan. 23, 1951 2,635,554- Haley Apr. 21, 1953' 2,723,627 Williams Nov. 15,1955 

